Become an IT Management Professional

Information Technology (IT) professionals are often promoted into management roles without training in the organizational and human dynamics of management and leadership. If you are a new manager with an IT background, this 100% online course will prepare you to lead teams and projects in the IT domain. Working from an IT perspective, the course focuses on developing a successful leadership style for effective team building, collaboration, and a corporate culture that promotes success.

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Job Outlook for Management for IT Professionals

  • The US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) anticipates a 10% growth in demand for Computer and Information Systems Managers between now and 2029. This is much faster than average growth for all jobs. The BLS notes that an increase in the popularity of cloud computing is shifting the role of IT in many organizations from machine-focused to team- and management-focused.
  • According to PayScale.com, IT managers earn $88,544 per year, on average. Salaries for early-career career IT managers range from $45-$108,000 per year, with an average of $68,497 during the first 1-4 years of their careers.

Management for IT Professionals Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What Management Skills Do IT Professionals Require?

IT professionals bring strong technical skills to their management roles. Often, they are experts in the systems or technologies their teams use and deploy. To become effective managers, they need to add skills in areas such as:

  • Recruiting, hiring and promotion
  • Team and relationship building
  • Project design and management
  • Budget and resource management
  • Communication, written and spoken, individual and group
  • Leadership, motivation and organizational dynamics

What Are the Unique Challenges of Managing IT Professionals?

IT management experts say that new IT managers often face challenges communicating and leading from a management perspective, not a technical perspective. The challenges often manifest in areas such as communication, leadership and power perceptions, budget preparation and administration, hiring and promotion and human resources-related legal issues.

What Job Titles Are Associated With Management Roles for IT Professionals?

IT Management Professionals frequently have job titles that reflect the balance in their roles between technology and organizational priorities. Some IT Management job titles include:

  • Chief Information Officer (CIO)
  • Chief Technology Officer (CTO)
  • Director of Technology
  • IT Director
  • IT Manager
  • Management Information Systems Director
  • Technical Operations Officer
  • Application Support Analyst
  • Senior System Analyst
  • Data Quality Manager

Course Objectives

  • Learn to think about budgeting in a strategic, integrated manner
  • Gain strategies to solve problems and challenges on a collaborative basis
  • Understand the legal issues involved in operations, including agency and employment law
  • Learn seven management disciplines
  • Develop a foundation for negotiating with great awareness and effectiveness
  • Learn about the key areas of business management
  • Begin your career as an IT professional or develop your existing skills to move up at your current job
  • Learn to communicate and lead a team effectively
  • Understand how to successfully run a department and what financial and legal regulations you'll be held to
  • Discuss ways in which you can benefit your organization, from decision making to cultural shifts, that will make you an asset to any team

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Prerequisites and Requirements

There are no specific prerequisites for this course. However, basic computer skills, the ability to navigate the Internet, and an email account are all required.

This class is for you if you're currently working in, or planning on working in, any area of information technology that requires managerial responsibilities.

Curriculum

Management Issues and Problem Solving

Learn how to work successfully as a manager within the IT industry. You'll understand decision making strategies, customer relationship best practices, and how to best communicate with a team.

Strategic Management and Business Best Practices

Review different business models and understand what types of management are best for each. Assess strategic business alternatives and how to implement them.

Financial Accounting and Legal Issues

Understand the importance of financial statements and how to manage cash flow. Look at financial ratios and how to best document transactions. You'll also cover sources of law, including agency, employment, torts, sales and products liability, and intellectual property.

Organizational Leadership and Development

Look at different leadership styles and theories and assess which is most beneficial for you and your organization. Study the meaning of an organization's culture and how to change one positively.

Negotiating Strategies and Management

Learn the steps, tools, and types of negotiations that are most beneficial. You'll also study the seven management disciplines and relate them to your industry.

Budgeting and Persuasive Communication

Complete the course by learning about best practices for budgeting and persuasive communication. Discuss what factors to consider when creating a budget as well as what evidence to present when trying to win an argument.

Instructors

Katrina McBride

Katrina McBride's career reflects extensive experience in organizational leadership, marketing strategies, and market development in multi-national corporate environments. Her leadership abilities have been utilized to develop new programs and functional areas. In director-level positions for Nortel Networks, she led strategy for competitive intelligence, emerging markets, and lead generation. McBride holds an M.A. in organizational management and a B.S. in psychology.

Katherine Squires Pang

Katherine Squires Pang, J.D., LL.M., M.Ed has practiced law since 1983. She has served as an adjunct faculty member in the Graduate School of Management at the University of Texas, Dallas, and has been an adjunct faculty member of many universities, including New York University and UC Irvine. She received her B.A. in 1980 from Clark University, her J.D. from the University of Dayton Law School in 1982, her LL.M in Taxation from Georgetown University Law School in 1983, and her M.Ed from the University of Texas in 2001.

Registration and Enrollment

This course is open enrollment. You can enroll and begin anytime.

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